Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Now Official and Here Are Things You Should Know

Finally after waves of unconfirmed reports and a sea of leaked images and information, the Korean electronics giant, Samsung, has officially unveiled their newest S-Pen equipped phablet dubbed Galaxy Note 7 at the recent Unpacked event held in New York with simultaneous events in Rio De Janeiro and in London. And as expected, this Note7 has new, polished, and upgraded features and functionalities compared to its previous iterations. And if you have been loving the Galaxy Note Series since it debuted in the tech scene in 2011, you will definitely fall in love as well with this latest one.

Wait, last year we had Galaxy Note 5 right? If it's called Note7 What happened to the Galaxy Note 6 then?

Of course Samsung people know how to count and yes we are definitely getting a Galaxy Note 7 instead of the expected Galaxy Note 6. Why is that? According to Samsung they have a couple of reasons why. First, this is to compliment their latest series of Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge and to unify their portfolio, and second is to minimize the confusion about the latest mobile technology from Samsung, and to provide full alignment with the Galaxy S series. Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S7 Active, then this Galaxy Note 7. And that is understandable, don't you think?

Iris Scanner Confirmed

Okay so let's start off with the newest, hottest, and long rumored feature of the Galaxy Note 7, the Iris Scanner. As you may have already guessed, it works exactly the same as the Fingerprint Scanner, only using your eyeballs this time. Note that Fingerprint Scanner is not going away, so meaning you can still use your fingers to alternatively unlock your phone and make purchases online in case you don't feel like using your iris. It's a very cool feature actually as it adds a new layer of security on the device, files and information we keep in the phone. And for that I am really excited to try it out in real life, however, I don't feel like it's that important to have for now on smartphones. But who knows, maybe in the near future Iris Scanning tech will lift off and become mainstream.

Samsung also added a special "Secure Folder" where users can store files, notes, photos, and even apps and have them securely locked in there from anybody. Of course the iris scanning feature can be used on this folder.

Now Water and Dustproof

Perhaps one of the most demanded features from previous Note phablets, dust and waterproof, is now on the Note7. Good news is, like the current S7 and S7 Edge smartphones, the Galaxy Note 7 now has IP68 certification, meaning it can now be submerged into water up to 5 feet deep and 30 minutes without being damaged. And to make things a little cooler, the S-Pen is now also usable underwater, although I have no idea yet why would you do that, with Note 7, it is now possible to write notes or doodles while outside in the rain or having your swimming training.

Much Improved S Pen Stylus

More than just a writing tool - S Pen is, the most popular part of the Galaxy Note series, has just been enhanced and made more intelligent than the yesteryears' installments. This allows the users to be more productive, efficient, accurate and be more able to express their creativity using the Note7. First of all the tip is now much sharper, about 0.7mm. In case you have no idea how pointy that is, it is about the same as of a ballpoint. Samsung retains the ability to write notes or doodle on the Note 7's screen using Screen Off memo even if the phone is locked. Plus, users can now pin their notes to the Always On display which is pretty nice functionality. Additionally, with Smart Select, users can create GIF from any playing video on the screen and share them online. And the Translate is another new feature added to the S Pen department where users can use this to translate any foreign language or words with just a simple hover of the S Pen. If you are traveling out of the country, this feature will definitely be your bestfriend.

Memory Card Support is Back

Expandable storage feature is something big that we missed on the Galaxy Note 5 leaving only users with either 32GB or 64GB variants. But with the Galaxy Note 7, microSD support is back. Theoretically it can hold up to 2TB microSD card according to Samsung. As for its default storage option, there is only going to be one selection and that is 64GB right off the bat.

USB Type-C Has Arrived

Also part of the rumors prior to the official announcement was Samsung's switch to the now picking up USB Type-C port. So no more microUSB from now on, or at least for now. But since the reception for USB Type-C tech is very positive, I think it's here to stay and future flagships will now adopt this, and besides, USB Type-C has a lot of benefits such as fast file transfer rate, fast charging tech and of course plugging in a connector without the hassle of checking the correct orientation. But don't worry, Samsung assured us that they are taking away the 3.5mm audio jack, it's still here on Note 7.

In case you haven't noticed yet, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 shares almost every specs we can fine on the Galaxy S7 Series. So if you have experienced or have been using one of the S7 or S7 edge, then you already have an idea of at least how powerful this Note 7 is on top of its Galaxy Note-exclusives features and functionalities.

We did not see a major design change though on Note 7, if you look at it, the design is actually a combination of Note 5 and S7 Edge. And S and Note series are becoming very identical in terms of looks and only differentiate with what they offer and actually do. For some, it's a downer, but for many, that includes me, I think it is super okay. It's still sexy and very looking premium to feel and state at, what's most important with the Note 7 is its enhanced and more refined features we are already familiar with and loved.

So the big questions. How much and when will be released? The Galaxy Note 7 will be retailed for Php39,990 and will be available beginning August 20. And as expected the phablet will also be offered by Smart and Globe through their postpaid plans. In fact Smart has already announced that subscribers can start pre-ordering this coming Saturday, August 6.